I knew it was coming...

...and still it made me cry. Kimberlee warned me that Eliza would have a hard time with this day. And I warned Kimerblee that she would have just as hard a time. There is something especially poignant about babies left behind when their big siblings leave for school. And there is something uniquely painful about being the mother of a big family when the first one leaves for the world out there. I remember when this young lady looked like the little girl in the slide show. And I know the hole she leaves behind in the fabric of her family life. Goodness! What a melancholy time of year this has become! I stop and count the number of Augusts ahead of me with trunks packed and waiting in the foyer. And, truly, I can't help but sigh. On this day, as I sigh, I am kicked in the ribs. Yes, sweet little one, I know you're there and your story has just begun. But I know better than with any other baby, just how hard the letting go will be. Someday. Someday not so very far away.